Tokyo, Japan - UPF's 18th Interreligious Forum was held on May 19 in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Twenty-five Ambassadors for Peace who represent the religions of Shinto, Buddhism, and Christianity participated in the Forum.
Following an address by Mr. Sotoji Maeda, a Representative of the Inter-religious Forum, Mr. Tomihiro Tanaka, Secretary General of the Youth Federation for World Peace (YFWP), spoke on the theme “The Ideal and Practice of the Universal Peace Federation – Approaches Taken by YFWP." Mr. Tanaka gave a comprehensive introduction of YFWP’s educational and service activities around the world that promote a spirit of brotherhood under the theme of "One Family under God." One of the participants shared his impression, “I think the forum helped each participant to think about how we, as people of faith, should guide Japanese youth.”
Starting with the May meeting, the focus of these forums will alternate between lectures on the ideals of UPF and reports about activities. Since this forum focused mainly on activity reports, ample time was schedule for discussion, allowing participants to share their thoughts. The discussion session became a fruitful opportunity for each participant to talk about their life, introduce their religious tradition, and describe their activities rooted in that tradition.